The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1887-08-18
A LETTER FROM en-"
Some Gold Facts Concerning the Ohio
Penitentlary.
The Princes OF Political DemagOgues
Foraker and HaIstead. shown UP--
The Institution is Shown to Be
Barely SelE-SustaIning.
rOLUMBUs, O.. August is. 1887.

One OF the boasts OF the Repu biiean
press, started by those princes Of pOlit-
Cal demag gues, "sk ncane" Foraker
and Mnr8t Hslstesd, Is that under Be-
publican administration the Ohio Peni
tentiaTy Is made self-supportlpg, and
money made for the State, while under
the Democratic administration that In.
'stitOtiOn was not only not -selfsustain
ing. but big loss to the State.
A few cold facts is all that Is needed
to tell why that institution is now made
barely self sustaining, while under the
last Democratic administration 1t had
to be run at something Of loss to the
State
When the Democrats took charge there
In May, 1884, they not only found the
prison dilapldsted condition, but they
were also handicapped by law abolish
Ing the contract system. The RepubIi-
CANS had been In power for four years
and during all that time they only
erected one new building, and permit
tel many Of them to become dilaDidated.
They during the time they were In
power had steady employment for all
the cOnVlcts, and were enabled by car
rying the prison under the contract sys
Sam to make some money for the State.
The first thing the Democrats had to 10
was TO go to an enormous expense In
erecting a number Of large and ex-
pensiVe buildings and repair those
which had become dilRpidsted, where
they could be, and where they could not
be- repaired they had to be torn down
and new cnes erected In their places.
n nt lNyf hn In bnf
condition, as far as the buildings we're
concerned, but they also fOand that the
conVicts' clothing, bedding, cooking
utensils, &c, were worn out, and nAw
clothing. bedding, cooking utensils
dishes, &c, had to bs purchased.
And as we remarked before, they we're
handicapped with law which had jus
been passed 8bOlishing the contract
system, throwing hundreds Of conVicts
out of employment, because. just ae
soon as the contract expired they were
working under, they were thrown out
employment and had to be placed In
the idle house." and during the entire
Democratic administration of the pen
itentiary, there were never less than
from two hundred and fifty to three
hundred idle cOnVicts with no employ
ment, and these c0nvicts had not only
to be fed, clothed and kept warm, but il
also took larger number Of guards to
watch them while in idleness than 1t
should if they had had steady employ
ment. During the Democratic admin
istratiOn there was seldom less thar
sixteen hundred cOnVicts in the DeDi
tentiary, and often more than thai
number.
There is another cold fact concerning
the Democratic administration of the
which should not be for
gotten. Whatever laws there we're In
the statutes of Ohio governing or reg
ulstlng that institution, they were
faithfully observed and strictly adher.
cd to.
When the Republicans took charge OF
The penitentiary In 1885 they found, es
Coffin said then, all the build
Ings In good repair, no new buildiDgs,
plenty Of good clothing and bedding foJ |
The c0nVicts, good cooking utensils Rnc l
fishes, and plenty of water to supply |
The institution, which had been placed |
there by these Democratic prede
cessOrs, who had erectfd large
water works to supply tn
prison with the water needed |
and thereby save 5000 year
he amount they boast they have saved /
,ver expenses, during their first year,
which amount the Democrats had t. |
Joy to the Columbus water works each |
1ear they were In charge.
Soon after the Republicans came into
)0wer the number Of c0nvlcts was
educod to fourteen hundred, and al
Dresent It is less than thai. number. By
'iolating the law, abOllshiDg the con
ract system, and having conVicts Worb
o the old contract plan, they have had
teRdy remuaeratiV0 and profitable EN-.
'lOyment for every convict In the psni-
thereby needing less guards,
ess clothing, less bedding, less food
ess fuel and less wear aud tear Of Ia
Institution.
During the time the penitentiary WI s
q the control Of the Den Ocrats nothing
whatever was received from the Q. S.
government for the keeping Of the Q. s
rls0ners, while during the time thu
have had charge OF it some
3 600 has already been received from
he U, 8. Government for the
eepIng Of q. s. prisoners there,
)urlng the time the Republicans have
ad charge since May, 1856. about one.
Ourth as many new buildings have been
rected as were erected by the Democrats
urIDg the same length of time.
These are all cold facts. Is 1t any
VOnder the Democratic administration
7lth what they had to do and what they
sd to purchase that they could moi
make the Dsnitentiary self-supportingP
md when II is remembered that the Re
ublican administration found every
hing In "apple pie order" and an
blndsnce Of clothing, bedding, food
nd new water works, receiving 5000
rom the United States, which the
Democratic administration did not
10 idle cOnviets to feed, clOthe and
,uard have they anything to boast Of In
unning the penitentiary self.suppOrt-
ng? And with the advantages they
ave had, which the Democrats had not,
nd the money they did not have to ex-
END, have they not shown extravaganza
instead Of economy In running the Ohio
N